Study of the cerebral vascular Doppler velocimetry and EEG in a group of 18 cases of Alzheimer's disease.

The authors studied the cerebral irrigation on a group of 18 patients with Alzheimer disease (60-70 year old) using the Doppler (D) ultrasound vascular method and EEG. They used a type UDP-10 Sonopan, with a sound acquisition system and graphic of recording on a 6 NEK-4 polyrecorder for registration of the carotid D curves together with ECG and phonocardiogram. EEG was registered using a Bioscript 2000. The statistical analysis of the D curves parameters for a group of 18 patients, compared to the parameters of a group of 40 clinically healthy persons, showed a decrease of the systolic speed with 24% and of the diastolic speed with 11%, a delay of the flow with the systolic spike in plateau and a murmur at the carotid arteries in 33% of the patients. These modifications point to the reduction of the cerebral vascular filling, determined especially by the atherosclerosis process which causes important narrowing of the vascular lumen but probably determined by Alzheimer disease also. We remarked the presence of theta waves in 42% of the patients and a small correlation (r = 0.38) with the decrease of the systolic speed in the test group.